Various things...

[thegrrrl2002]

I dragged myself out of the apartment today, for the first time since Friday. I've been suffering from the Most Horrible Cold Ever. I'm finally starting to feel better, even though I have a lingering cough that makes me sound like a 70-year-old man with a two-pack-a-day habit. It's truly lovely. I made the mistake of stopping for a sandwich while I was out (when my walking slowed down to a stagger) only to get a crumb of bread stuck in my throat. I came very close to coughing my entire sandwich up, right there in the sandwich shop. Really would have been embarrassing.

But it was very nice to get out into the sunshine and see the sky again. The walls of the apartment were closing in on me, in a big way.

There really is a point to this post. Two points:

One, go and read mmmchelle's new fic: That Pon Farr Thing. It's lovely and romantic and funny and there's cuddling and vulnerable John and general all-round hotness. I love it.


And two -I watched the SGA S2 DVD feature "Introducing Ronon Dex" (thanks to bluespirit_star) and I was highly amused by Rob Cooper and Martin Wood going on and on about how tough Ronon is. Oooh, so big and scary! Unpredictable! Big tough guy! A fighter, so big and strong and imposing, you never know what he's going to do next! Warrior! Soldier! Wild man! Oh, yeah, background--we'll give him some of that next season. But big and scary! A fighter! He can beat people/wraith/everyone up!! He kicks ass!

(Okay, Rob, did you get picked on a lot as a child?)

Not one mention of the depth the character has, his puppyish loyalty to Sheppard, his humor, intelligence or gentleness or anything else that makes the character so appealing. All I can say is thank god for JM, who plays Ronon with all of the above nuances. And for those writers who have given him a chance to do something other than fight and be intimating. Sheesh.



A happy fourth to everyone out there who is celebrating! Have a drink for me.

And now, I shall nap.

Comments

[kalikahuntress.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if it were up to Rob, I probably wouldn't like Ronon so thank goodness for Ronon and the writers not buying into the lame 'I'm tough as nails and don't emote' warrior type. And I'm sorry to hear you're sick, have a good nap and feel better soon:)

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you - I didn't nap very much, but I am feeling a little better.

And that was exactly what I feared Ronon would be like - a one-note character. I'm so glad I was wrong!

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

That's exactly why it took me a while to warm to Ronon (though now I have, because he is an enormous adolescent dork). Sometimes the SG PTB's fanboyishness is charming, and sometimes it's just irritating, and this is one of the latter cases.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes yes and yes. It's not quite as bad as their SamCrush (let the woman be human, for god's sake!) but it's close.

Ronon really is just a big adolescent dork. Which fits right in pretty much with the rest of the cast.

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

I hope you feel better soon. *hugs*

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

::coughs on you::

Thank you, sweetie!

[destina.livejournal.com]

Ugh, summer colds SUCK. Hope you feel much better very soon. *hugs*

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I hope so too. This one really hit hard. What is it about the damn summer colds? I'm so DONE with it.

[inthekeyofd.livejournal.com]

Summer colds are the worst!! Feel better!!

And Ronon, like you said, while sure, he's big and tough and can totally kick ass, but at the same time, he has a fierce loyalty that just comes through.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

There's so much more to him than just the fact he can fight. But you'd think that's all he can do if you watch that feature.

Not to say he isn't physically impressive...*g*

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Wow,sure sounds like someone has a big ole man crush. *g*

Hope you feel better soon, and Happy 4th.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's exactly what it sounds like.

And thank you, I'm ready to be done with this cold any day now. *g*

[rivier.livejournal.com]

Tiny yet perfectly-formed hugs for you! Hugs like miniature cupcakes decorated with the most tasteful sprinkles, all with extra Vitamin C!

Ahem! Right... Ronon. Yep. JM plays him really to perfection for me. I was so damned ready to loathe Ronon, the replacement guy, the one who was going to inject a little much-needed machismo into the team. Remember this time last year, and how wibbly and reluctant we all were? But he managed to confound it all, and I really do think it's almost all down to how Jason is playing Ronon, and a bit down to how his scenes are being directed, how the others are playing off him, and hardly at all in the scripts.

Like that first encounter in Runner. I just couldn't find Ronon menacing, not at the cave and not even when he grins when McKay's asking him to cut him down out of the tree. The runner premise is great for setting Ronon up as a savagely competent loner, a survival machine like no other. But what comes across when he's talking with Teyla in particular is what a horrible life that was. Ronon may have been a fantastic runner, but there's no sense that he enjoyed that life.

Whereas, ever since then, we get this terrific sense of his enjoyment at being in a team, being under the command of someone he unquestioningly respects. It's mostly in the non-verbal elements, too: grinning at Teyla over the perennial shared joke that is Rodney in spate, deadpanning Elizabeth because watching her fluster is such fun, surprising Sheppard with the knives or the directness. And the reat of the team play to that, so Teyla comes across as enjoying her big sister / crush object role, and Rodney utterly refuses to be nervous geek around the big 'dangerous' manly man. Sheppard just seems to be so much dorkier, so much gayer, with Ronon around. And he seems perfectly happy with that!

I don't know, maybe I'm reading what I want to see into all of this, but if Ronon was the big hulking Rambo-esque uber-hulk the Stargate geekmeisters seem to think he is, then there's no way I'd be writing anything from his POV. I'd be bored to bits in minutes! But I think this show is exceptionally lucky in the way that so many of the leads have such inexplicable charisma in their own right, and that has litle to do with looks or talent or the script or anything else that can be manufactured or enhanced.

Which is not to say that I don't also think JM is yet another absurdly beautiful big slab of man-stuff! With lovely, gentle, help-me-Mummy eyes!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Mmmm...hugs!!! Thank you. I really do feel miserable, and am unrepentantly whiny about it.

And yes, what you said, exactly. Which you said so much better than I possibly could have. I think JM's talent is a big part of it - he really lets the vulnerable side of Ronon show through. I was hooked from the moment I saw him in "Runner". He was just so tired and worn and sad. It was the last thing I expected.

I also never expected Sheppard to be so willing to give up being the Manly One. He's completely handed that off to Ronon, and is now the dorkiest dork to ever lead a team. I love it.

[feather-autant.livejournal.com]

Colds are the worst! You really don't get much sympathy, because it's just a cold, but they can make you completely miserable.

Do you need for me to run out and get you juice or something? *hugs you and hands over tissue box*

I've just finished dling the features, so am off to eagerly watch! I think it's pretty funny how TPTB perceive things one way, and we see things completely different. I'm very glad Ronon didn't come across as initially billed. :)

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

I am utterly miserable. The cold has won. There are colds which are a sniffle and a sneeze and then they're done with, and then there are monsters like this.

::sobs on your shoulder::

I'm so tired of it!!

And I do need juice. How did you know? *g*

Enjoy watching the features! They're pretty darn fun. I still have to watch the stunts one, but that should be pretty interesting.

[feather-autant.livejournal.com]

::pets your hair: ::settles you on the couch with DVD player loaded with pretties::

/searches for bright side/ Oh! Got one! You should be feeling better by the premier. It would suck beyond belief to be too sick to enjoy it.

I do hope you're all better soon.

Damned virus. *scowls*

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you, sweetie! I am finally feeling better today, much much better. Although very tired.

I expect to be in tip-top shape by time the premier gets here!! I'm all a-twitter with anticipation. *g*

[feather-autant.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad the Bad Part is over! Tired will go away soon, too. :)

We're into the single digit part of the countdown now! *starts hyperventilating* I really just CANNOT WAIT!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeee, single digits!!!!!

[skater-g8r.livejournal.com]

::huggles Grrrl:: sorry you are unwell 8-/ ::hands you sweet scented hanky::

although you prolly cant smell anything!

::hands you choccy instead::

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Hee! Your icon made me feel a little better. So cute!

And thank you, chocolate will do me just fine. *g*

[shetiger.livejournal.com]

*rubs Grrrl's back*

Also, I am so very thankful for the actors we've got on this series. *eyes in-charge boys warily* Ronon is such a sweetie in so many ways. *hugs JM*

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you, right there between the shoulder blades. It really hurts from coughing so much.

TPTB did really well when it came to casting, didn't they?

[mcalex22.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to re-watch that again. I don't think I paid much attention, possibly because there was a lot of talk about the big manly tough guy thingy!

I did howewver enjoy the Stunts DVD extra with Bam Bam and it was a surprise to see the final bit with David doing his kungfu moves etc.

:)

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

It really wasn't the most exciting feature they've done, especially since all they did was go on and on about how impressive JM is physically.

Which of course, he is. *g*

[tipsywitch.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the Pon Farr recommendation - it's brill!

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Oh good, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely one of my favs.

[kylielee1000.livejournal.com]

Not one mention of the depth the character has, his puppyish loyalty to Sheppard, his humor, intelligence or gentleness or anything else that makes the character so appealing.

Word! And also, I wish they'd think a little more about backstory and the character before they break out a cliche and run with it. It's one reason Ford didn't work as a character.

When are the DVDs to be released for Region 1??

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Hey, they'd better not give Ronon backstory before John! Although from the spoilers I've seen, I think they just might. ::sighs::

I don't know when they are releasing the darn Region 1 DVDs. If I remember correctly, last year they came out during the hiatus after the first half of S2. I have no idea why they wait so long!